Chapter 4

"Andrew, what the hell is going on here?" I demanded.

Even though I was planning to divorce him, his audacity still managed to shock me.

But Andrew didn't even look up, focused entirely on feeding the baby.

"Can you stop yelling? Wait till Lily's asleep—I'll explain everything."

I slammed my bag on the table. Anger burned in my chest.

Andrew's face tightened with irritation.

Cassie glanced at me nervously. "Andy, did I upset Jane by being here? Maybe I should take Lily to a hotel."

She moved toward the baby like she was going to pick her up.

Andrew blocked her with his arm. "Ignore Jane. I'll talk to her later. You're still recovering—you shouldn't be carrying her around. Besides, Lily's still feeding. If we stop now, she'll get gassy."

Cassie backed off and shot me a smug look. "Sorry, Jane. Guess I'll go rest now."

With that, she strutted toward the master bedroom.

I pressed my hand to my throbbing head, then threw the divorce papers in Andrew's face.

"Andrew, we're getting divorced."

Though I was furious, my voice came out barely above a whisper, hollow and drained.

I'd lost my baby, bleeding out in a hospital bed. Now I came home to find my husband playing father to someone else's child.

This life, this chaos—I was done.

Andrew didn't even glance at me or the papers.

Lily had finished her milk and fallen asleep. Andrew carefully carried her into the master bedroom.

After closing the bedroom door, he came back, frowning.

"Jane, what's your problem? You're being so dramatic. Aren't you supposed to be the mature one?"

I almost laughed. The audacity was almost funny.

"Mature? Cassie's like your 'little sister,' not mine. She has nothing to do with me."

Andrew sighed, "Jane, I know you're jealous of my relationship with Cassie, and that's why we're always fighting. But can't you be reasonable? Cassie and I go way back—before you. I can't just abandon her because we got married."

Of course he'd defend Cassie. He always did. It was hardwired into him.

She'd always come first. Nothing would ever change that.

I took a breath, keeping my voice steady. "Fine. I don't want to argue anymore. Let's just get divorced."

Andrew exploded. "Jane, can you just STOP? Does any of this even matter to you?"

Just then, the master bedroom door swung open.

Cassie stepped out, clearly annoyed. "Can you keep it down? I barely slept last night, and Lily just fell asleep. How are we supposed to rest with all this yelling?"

Andrew immediately apologized, "Sorry, Cassie. Jane and I will keep it down. Go rest while Lily's sleeping. I'll have Jane make you chicken soup later."

But Cassie's expression stayed icy.

"Well then, Jane. I'm going to nap—call me when it's ready.

"And keep quiet. I'm a light sleeper."

With that, the master bedroom door shut behind her.

Andrew shuffled over, forcing a smile and dropping his voice.

"Alright, Let's drop the anger. I'll let slide your disappearance this past week."

I stared at him silently, exhausted and disappointed.

My face was still scraped up from the crash, my stomach heartbreakingly flat where our baby used to be.

I'd been standing right in front of him for half an hour, and he hadn't noticed a thing—not my injuries, not the pain in my eyes.

I let out a bitter laugh.

Of course. How could our baby and I ever compare to Cassie?

"Oh yeah, there's something I need to tell you," Andrew said. "Cassie's doing postpartum recovery here, and the nanny won't arrive until next month. So you'll need to take care of Cassie and the baby for the next two weeks.

"My vacation ends tomorrow, but you haven't used your days off. So just take some time and pitch in."

He said it like it was nothing—completely taking me for granted.

I stared at him like he'd lost his mind.

At that moment, I was so tempted to slap myself. Just how stupid had I been, to pick such a jerk out of all my suitors?

Andrew sighed heavily, his face drawn, "You can't imagine how demanding the baby is. I haven't slept through the night in days—I'm about to collapse. Thank goodness you're back. Just do this for me—help with Cassie's recovery.

"Finally, I can sleep like a normal person."

He stretched with a long, weary yawn, his face a picture of fatigue.

"Head to the market and grab fresh ingredients. Simmer it low and slow for at least two hours—that's the only way the soup will be right. I'm taking a nap. Call me when it's ready."

Then, he left for the second bedroom, massaging a sore shoulder as he went.

"Andrew..." I called out coldly.

I clenched my fists hard, my urge to lash out barely contained.

He turned back, frowning. "What now? Haven't I made myself clear?"

"I said—We're getting divorced."

I made sure every single word landed.

He stared at me, and when he saw how serious and calm I was, panic flickered across his face for the first time.

"Why are you suddenly talking about divorce? Is this about Cassie again? I've told you—there's nothing between us.

"She's only here because her husband blew up at her again, and his mistress showed up at the hospital. I couldn't just stand by and watch her get mistreated.

"You know how easy it is for new moms to get postpartum depression..."

He rushed to justify himself, rattling off excuses.

I cut him off. "Whatever. Handle it however you want—I just want a divorce."

"No way!" Andrew snapped. "Once Cassie's recovered, I'll send her home. Then I'll take care of you when you give birth—I'll even take time off for you and the baby..."

Right then, his eyes finally drifted down to my stomach.

Andrew trailed off, his eyes fixed on my stomach and his mouth half-open.

After a long pause, he whispered, "Wait... where's our baby? Did you already give birth? She was only six months... How is that even possible?"

He looked utterly lost and confused.